Page 2 of Feral Edge

"There are rumors of a betting ring over who you'll choose for the ritual. I'm betting on the sassy prisoner, but who knows. Trevor's been flirting pretty fucking hard at breakfast."

"He has? I didn't notice."

"Cian, you never notice." Chris says.

"We'll see, okay. I'm too busy for relationships and shit right now." I lie.

"Send someone down with food for him. Someone mean. He pissed me off."

"Twenty on the sassy prisoner." Chris mumbles to his brother. Dan notes his bet and moves along to gather more.

I shrug off Chris's snide remarks about the full moon ritual. Trying and failing to think about anything other than the damn beta I fully intend to claim. I give up and shift. My paws hit the soft, damp mid-day grass as another surprise summer shower lets loose. Heavy, cold droplets hit y fur, some passing through my thick coat, sending a chill down my spine.

Shaking off the unfortunate wetness, I push harder and deeper into the woods beyond the open pack lands. I let my wolf take over, and he knows right where we need to go. The hot spring hidden deep in the forest was the perfect place to unwind and settle my whirring mind.

3

Cian

"Is he refusing to eat, or is he just trying to force my hand? He wants me down there."

Chris rolls his eyes and explains his version of what Elijah was doing in the cell while I was gone.

"He specified he'd only eat for his alpha, so… You can do whatever you want with that, I guess."

Five days to make Elijah mine and it starts fucking now. I'll have him turned against Derek by the full moon. I pull the punch aimed at the wall, not wanting to take my anger out on an inanimate object. I'll direct it into a more productive activity.

"I heard you missed me." I say, stepping into the circle of light from the dangling incandescent bulb in the center of the room.

"Nope. I told you I wanted chocolate, but you sent two wolves with attitudes and no chocolate."

"Correct me if I'm wrong here… if I had chocolate on my person would you be a good boy and let me feed you?"

He tried to hold back the spike of arousal, and his scent betrays him though, and my wolf notices.

"You should be getting far worse treatment… oh, but you dropped to your knees and begged. You promised so many things, and my wolf hasn't forgotten a single one of them. But I'm not here to take advantage of you, no… Elijah, I'll have you begging once more by the full moon."

He turned to begging for his life rather quickly, and I can't say seeing him on his knees wasn't a beautiful sight.

"I'm going to open this cell. I have food, a change of clothes, and a treat if you can manage to be a good boy."

Elijah nods and steps back from the cell door. These cells have been here far longer than I've existed. The slightly rusted, ornate key slides into the lock, and with a groan, the door swings open.

Elijah stays back as I enter and close the door behind me. The lock clicks back into place. Before he can come up with a smartass remark about the keys, I toss them out of the cell.

I grab the stool from the corner and unpack my pockets.

"As promised," I say, waving the chocolate bar for Elijah to see.

"Sit," I demand.

Elijah crosses his arms over his bare chest.

"I'm not here to negotiate. Sit." He huffs but sits down next to me on the threadbare cot.

"I've had my eyes on you since the last big pack meeting."

The party after the run was nothing short of glorious. Of course, the host alpha led the ritual. Derek's father was still in charge, and Elijah caught my eye. He was too far gone, despite the orgy Derek was participating in without him.